Chapter Summaries

Lynn descended beneath the Black Fortress to investigate the Firstborn Power, using it to pass through a deadly Barrier and enter a vast underground space. He realized the space lay at least several hundred kilometers below the surface, though the chapter left what awaited him there unknown.

• Lynn prepared to descend, but Zuo Zuo refused to be cut off, and Titan Head smacked him underground.
• Lynn fell through the earth until a powerful safeguard stopped him nearly two thousand meters down.
• Lynn used his Firstborn Power to pass through the Barrier, and his unprotected glove was annihilated.
• After Zuo Zuo bit him, Lynn followed his drifting blood through shifting illusions and fell into an independent space.
• Lynn landed in the oxygenless space and estimated that it was several hundred kilometers underground.

Lynn and Zuo Zuo entered a sealed underground domain beneath the Black Fortress, where a new quest led Lynn to suspect that the bodies of long-dead Ravens were buried. He followed the familiar pull to a bottomless chasm inscribed with flowing laws.

• Lynn and Zuo Zuo found that the underground domain was vast, isolated, and tomb-like.
• Lynn triggered the special questline Tomb Across Time, which gave him a countdown and instructed him to find a familiar presence.
• Lynn recalled asking the old man about the dead Ravens and concluded that one of their bodies might be buried in the domain.
• Lynn reasoned that the Ravens' bodies might form the foundation of Hell and hurried toward the source of the summons.
• Lynn and Zuo Zuo reached a bottomless chasm whose walls bore ancient patterns, and Lynn identified them as laws.

Lynn and Zuo Zuo jumped into the abyss, where Lynn entered a painful illusion of the Old Gods’ final battle and realized he was controlling the white-haired Raven’s body. Three Jailers attacked him, leaving Lynn fleeing through the battlefield.

• Lynn identified the power beneath them as primordial power and decided to search for the Raven’s corpse, hoping to merge with it.
• Lynn and Zuo Zuo jumped into the abyss, and Lynn discovered that closing his eyes let him sense his continued fall through an illusion.
• Lynn saw the era of the Old Gods’ final battle and recognized the white-haired figure reflected in the water as the Raven buried there.
• Lynn realized he could control the Raven’s body and confirmed the illusion was dangerous when slapping himself caused pain.
• Three Jailers attacked Lynn with blinding beams, and he ran from them across the battlefield.

Lynn escaped an illusory realm after seeing a powerful left hand that looked like Zuo Zuo wield a black war blade beside a Raven from the past. As Lynn and Zuo Zuo continued falling into the Abyss, he confirmed that her blade-drawing motion matched the one he had seen, leaving him baffled by the resemblance.

• Lynn was cornered by three Jailers in the illusory realm, and an unfamiliar version of his left hand defeated them with a black war blade.
• Lynn woke in free fall and asked Zuo Zuo whether she had been with him in the illusory realm, but she said she had not.
• Zuo Zuo caught a protrusion on the Abyss's inner wall with her stretched arm and stopped their fall temporarily.
• Lynn asked Zuo Zuo to draw something out of thin air, and she produced a table knife using a motion identical to the one he had seen in the illusory realm.
• Zuo Zuo warned Lynn that they had started falling again.

Lynn was pulled into another vision of the Raven’s past and witnessed the Raven’s first encounter with Blue Star’s Seraphim after she suppressed the turmoil caused by Cthulhu. He realized the vision would not let him communicate with her and feared he would have to fight her to learn more.

• Lynn told Zuo Zuo about the Raven’s past vision and asked her to prepare to enter the next one with him.
• Lynn and Zuo Zuo entered a vision of the Raven standing on a stormy sea before Blue Star’s Seraphim.
• Lynn recognized the Seraphim from their earlier meeting and understood that the vision took place in Apocalypse Year One.
• The Seraphim demanded to know who the Raven was and why he knew her sister, then attacked him with her Golden Divine Sword.
• Lynn realized he might need to defeat the Seraphim to uncover more of the Raven’s past and worried that he was too weak to fight her.

Lynn realized that Raven’s mechanical body, psionic power, and Zuo Zuo’s voice might mean Raven was their future self, while his left hand wielded the Night Demon Blade against the Seraphim. As the battle continued, Lynn drew out a faded golden feather, hoping it could prove that someone would come to awaken her.

• Lynn blocked the Seraphim’s greatsword with Raven’s mechanical bones and saw his severed flesh heal.
• Lynn told Zuo Zuo he suspected Raven had once existed independently but might be their future self.
• Lynn felt his left hand move on its own as the divine mark summoned the Night Demon Blade, which clashed with the Seraphim’s greatsword.
• A voice resembling Zuo Zuo’s urged Lynn to give the Seraphim something, and Zuo Zuo recognized the voice as her own.
• Lynn drew a faded golden feather from Raven’s clothing, believing it might prove that someone would come to awaken the Seraphim.

After seeing visions connected to Raven, Lynn and Zuo Zuo descended to the bottom of the abyss and found a bronze coffin that seemed to be the source of the Dark World’s laws. Lynn prepared to force it open, hoping Raven’s corpse and memories inside would reveal the truth.

• Lynn and Zuo Zuo argued and fought after comparing themselves to their counterparts in the illusory realm.
• Zuo Zuo briefly drew a knife infused with the Colossus’s blood energy, leaving Lynn to wonder whether the visions could influence their future.
• As they continued falling through more illusory realms, Lynn concluded that Raven had not always been Lynn and Zuo Zuo.
• Lynn and Zuo Zuo reached an enormous chamber at the bottom of the abyss and grabbed hold of the bronze coffin floating at its center.
• Lynn took out his chainsaw and prepared to force the coffin open.

Lynn opened the indestructible coffin using his firstborn power and found the decaying soul of a dead raven inside. He suspected it was connected to the raven from the illusory realm, but could not confirm its identity.

• Lynn tried to cut and pry open the coffin, but his Chainsaw, Night Demon Blade, and system space failed to damage it.
• Zuo Zuo suggested using firstborn power, and Lynn used it to make the coffin respond and open.
• Lynn found the corpse of Raven 071, whose panel identified it as an ancient corpse.
• Lynn discovered through detection mode that the raven was a preserved soul rather than a physical body, and noted that it was decaying.
• Zuo Zuo wondered whether it was the raven they had encountered in the illusory realm, but Lynn said he could not tell.

Lynn discovered that Raven's corpse powered the laws of Hell and began trying to devour it before his mission deadline. Meanwhile, a boy who looked exactly like Lynn arrived above the Black Old Castle with Feather Pen and the Pighead Butcher, where an aged rules god addressed him as the God King.

• Lynn lifted Raven's corpse and saw the surrounding laws dim as Hell trembled, so he returned it to the coffin.
• Lynn decided to test whether he could devour Raven's remains and told Zuo Zuo to wake him after thirty minutes, before the mission countdown expired.
• The boy and his companions appeared in the sky above the Black Fortress as the jailers searched for them.
• The space around the boy, Feather Pen, and the Pighead Butcher rippled and became a silent river of stars.
• An aged rules god appeared and told the boy, who looked exactly like Lynn, that he should not have returned and addressed him as the God King.

The God King confronted his former companion over the cycle’s coming end and threatened to use Lynn to stop it. As Lynn fused with Raven’s corpse, he witnessed Raven’s role in spreading life and civilization through the reborn universe.

• The God King argued that the previous ruler’s choice had only delayed the end and insisted that the cycle should be ended instead.
• The old man refused to choose death for countless living beings and urged the God King to leave the current era behind.
• The God King declared that he could influence the being they wanted Lynn to serve and make Him end the cycle.
• A surge of deathly power shook the Black Fortress, and Feather Pen warned everyone to get Lynn out within ten minutes.
• Lynn continued fusing with Raven’s corpse, reaching 47% progress as Raven’s memories surfaced.
• Lynn saw Raven travel through the universe, sowing knowledge and nurturing new civilizations after a Great Purge.

Lynn tried to devour the raven’s memories, but stopped when he encountered the eye that had killed it and nearly suffered the same death himself. He concluded that a calamity in the Main Universe had killed the raven, leaving him as the last raven, though he did not know why it was pursuing him.

• Lynn searched the raven’s memories for the Trinity and Zuo Zuo, but found no sign of them and continued toward the end of the raven’s life.
• Lynn reached the raven’s death and saw an enormous black eye watching it as an azure hue swept toward it too late.
• Zuo Zuo interrupted Lynn’s devouring after his face began to rot, and Lynn woke with the raven’s corpse on his lap.
• Lynn recognized the eye from his experience on Blue Star and suspected the chaotic colors that had saved him had failed to save the ancient raven.
• Lynn concluded that a calamity in the Main Universe had killed the raven and realized he was the last raven there.

Lynn absorbed half of Raven’s memories, then escaped the collapsing Abyss with Zuo Zuo and several treasures. At the Black Fortress, he sensed a familiar, terrifying gaze from the chaotic battlefield that stirred an ancient mark within him.

• Lynn realized the Abyss was collapsing and hurried upward, but returned to take Raven’s coffin lid and pry out Rules Crystals and other loot.
• Lynn and Zuo Zuo fled the falling Abyss on the coffin lid as the Black Fortress cracked and rose from the ground.
• The Origins at the Black Fortress sensed a chaotic battlefield approaching and felt both Lynn’s Firstborn might and the Rule of Death within it.
• Sir Awen called for Lynn as a terrifying gaze threatened the Black Fortress, and Lynn burst from the ground riding the coffin lid.
• Lynn sensed a familiar presence in the distant chaos, and its gaze stirred the ancient mark the Violet Great Lord had erased.

Lynn opened the Boundary Gate as the mission countdown ended, but Feather Pen appeared and altered a fatal strike to send him away. He returned with the Black Fortress to Dark Night City, while Feather Pen remained behind among the figures in the black mist.

• Lynn opened the Boundary Gate with the Origins’ help as the mission countdown reached its final seconds.
• A mysterious figure attacked Lynn with a cleaver, and Lynn used a Rules Crystal (Space) to force open a vast abyss between them.
• Lynn recognized Feather Pen’s voice and called for her, but fate’s interference pushed him toward the Boundary Gate.
• Feather Pen turned the cleaver aside and told Lynn, “Don't come looking for me,” as the Boundary Gate swallowed the Black Fortress and closed.
• Lynn returned to Dark Night City with the Black Fortress and completed the mission, earning three levels, two Skill Enhancement Scrolls, and a Flesh Ascension Path Blueprint.

Lynn saw his missing Feather Pen appear during a dangerous encounter, but Sir Awen stopped him from rushing after her. After learning that another being could wield Firstborn Power and confronting the possibility that the Reincarnation God-King was his true self, Lynn was left questioning who he was.

• Lynn tried to reopen the Boundary Gate after recognizing the figure who appeared as his missing Feather Pen, but Sir Awen stopped him and urged him to wait until they understood the danger.
• The Colossus Brain and the Self-Binding Angel identified the Pighead Butcher as a Jailer who might have taken the Feather Pen, and the Colossus Brain asked whether anyone besides Lynn could use Firstborn Power.
• A vast will appeared above the Black Fortress and reminded Lynn that it had witnessed the battle on the day Xian Yue died, when many Jailers perished.
• Lynn recalled the Violet Great Lord's memories and the revelation that he and the others were fragments of the Reincarnation God-King, then wondered why events had turned out that way.

Lynn realized that the being awakened in Dark Night City might be collecting the ravens to restore himself, and feared that the Feather Pen was in danger. Unable to return without risking both his life and hers, Lynn resolved to grow stronger and prepared to use the Flesh Ascension Path Blueprint.

• Lynn deduced that the being might be using the other half of his soul and collecting the ravens to make himself whole.
• Lynn recognized that the raven corpse in his possession could draw the being to him, but feared the Chaotic Colors would not protect him from a direct attack.
• Lynn decided not to return for the Feather Pen because his death would trigger their Fate Contract and kill her as well.
• Lynn returned to Dark Night City Square, where the city remained under martial law and the Black Fortress hovered overhead.
• Lynn took out the Flesh Ascension Path Blueprint, which could unlock the Blood and Gene Turmoil Path.

Lynn used the Flesh Ascension Path Bestiary to assess his body and organize his flesh abilities. The report revealed his extraordinary cellular activity and healing, but also a chaotic jumble of mutations and traits.

• Lynn recalled his crude Trinity Frame and decided that developing his flesh abilities was the easiest way to advance toward a true fusion of flesh, machinery, and psionics.
• Lynn opened the Flesh Ascension Path Bestiary and agreed to have it assess his flesh system.
• The Bestiary attached itself to Lynn’s face and drained his blood while analyzing his cells, genes, flesh control, and other physical traits.
• The Bestiary generated Lynn’s flesh report, listing his potent healing and cellular control alongside Colossus Cells, Mother Tree Essence, Cthulhu’s authority, and Angel’s Blood.
• Lynn read the report’s evaluation that his body was as chaotic as his mind.

Lynn examined his many bodily modifications and decided to deepen his mastery of the Colossus’s flesh path. He sought the Colossus Brain’s help in choosing how to advance, while admitting that Feather Pen’s situation was weighing on him.

• Lynn studied his Body Chart and concluded that his many flesh abilities were scattered across several paths, with the Colossus offering the strongest foundation.
• Lynn entered the Colossus Network with Zuo Zuo and went to find the Colossus Brain.
• The Colossus Brain reflected on the Colossus’s scattered organs and wondered what path they might have taken if they had not fallen into Hell.
• Lynn took the Colossus Brain’s Throne, teased Zuo Zuo, and explained that he had come because she could help him.
• Lynn told the Colossus Brain that he wanted to advance across the trinity of domains and needed her guidance with flesh, then joked that he planned to win Miss Machine Intelligence over.

Lynn learned that he could not personally follow the Colossus’s path of origin, but could grow stronger by increasing the Colossus’s power or taking shares from its other consciousnesses. The Colossus Brain offered to give him some of her share, and Lynn realized that Hell’s Origin-rank limit might mean she could spare power without losing her current rank.

• The Colossus Brain explained that the Colossi arose from the sacrifice of their civilization and that Lynn could not recreate their path without sacrificing all life on Blue Star.
• She told Lynn that his stolen Queen’s Authority made him part of the Colossus, so its growth would strengthen him, though his own body had only limited access to its power.
• The Colossus Brain explained that Colossus power was divided by rank and that Lynn could grow stronger by expanding the total power or taking shares from other Colossus consciousnesses.
• Lynn asked whether taking power would kill the Colossus Brain, and she said he would have to surpass her share before he could decide her fate.
• The Colossus Brain offered to give Lynn part of her forty-percent share, and he reasoned that Hell’s Origin-rank cap might let her give up power without falling below that rank.

Lynn discussed the God of Ten Thousand Machines' split with the Colossus Brain, who offered to transfer her power if he answered one question. She asked whether he was Raven, and, despite his explanation that many Ravens existed, she believed fate would bring them together.

• Lynn asked whether other gods in Hell could split themselves to create Origin-level doubles, and the Colossus Brain explained the limits and risks.
• Lynn asked whether the Colossus Brain feared he would keep the Colossus if she transferred her power, and he said he would return it if she trusted him.
• The Colossus Brain asked Lynn whether he was Raven and said she had suspected it since they went to find the Matriarch.
• The Colossus Brain explained that Raven had promised to meet them again and that their civilization regarded him as its creator and loving father.
• Lynn admitted he was a Raven but warned that many Ravens existed, while the Colossus Brain insisted fate would lead her to the Raven who belonged to them.

Lynn accepted a share of the Colossus’s Authority, and his body absorbed it without resistance, convincing the Colossus Brain that he was the ancient raven and creator of their genes. The Colossus Brain embraced him, while Lynn remained unsettled by the revelation.

• The Colossus Brain offered Lynn one percent of her Authority and said its acceptance would prove he was the raven she sought.
• Lynn took her hand, and the transfer revealed the Colossus’s cells and collective consciousness before showing him an ancient raven.
• Lynn’s body accepted the Authority, gained increased cellular activity and self-healing, and began producing blood energy as a Colossus phantom appeared over Dark Night City.
• The Colossus Brain explained that Lynn had taken part of her own Royal Authority, proving he was the true King and creator of the ancient genes.
• The Colossus Brain embraced Lynn and reflected that her genetic affinity, like Zuo Zuo’s and Big Tongue’s, had drawn her to him.